bigdamnhero

Playing Star Wars earlier tonight. My character is a Droid. Myself and another character are meeting with a powerful alien race, that are sortof friendly towards us, but their motives are pretty damn inscrutable. The GM is describing this very isolated location, concrete paths through a lush garden..
 
Me OOC: "Just out of curiosity, there isn't by chance a large floor drain nearby they can use to wash our blood down after they kill us?"
GM: "You don't even have blood."
Me: "I have fluids! Don't be fleshist!"

Jason, How will you hold up in a fight scene with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman?
 
I played Khal Drogo and Conan.  The first line on my resume says, "Call me if you need asses kicked".  My eyebrows alone could crush Cavill, drive Affleck before me and laugh at the lamentations of the Gadot.

Playing Star Wars earlier tonight. My character is a Droid. Myself and another character are meeting with a powerful alien race, that are sortof friendly towards us, but their motives are pretty damn inscrutable. The GM is describing this very isolated location, concrete paths through a lush garden..
 
Me OOC: "Just out of curiosity, there isn't by chance a large floor drain nearby they can use to wash our blood down after they kill us?"
GM: "You don't even have blood."
Me: "I have fluids! Don't be fleshist!"

Playing Star Wars earlier tonight. My character is a Droid. Myself and another character are meeting with a powerful alien race, that are sortof friendly towards us, but their motives are pretty damn inscrutable. The GM is describing this very isolated location, concrete paths through a lush garden..
 
Me OOC: "Just out of curiosity, there isn't by chance a large floor drain nearby they can use to wash our blood down after they kill us?"
GM: "You don't even have blood."
Me: "I have fluids! Don't be fleshist!"

super heroes fight crime NOT EACH OTHER

Playing Star Wars earlier tonight. My character is a Droid. Myself and another character are meeting with a powerful alien race, that are sortof friendly towards us, but their motives are pretty damn inscrutable. The GM is describing this very isolated location, concrete paths through a lush garden..
 
Me OOC: "Just out of curiosity, there isn't by chance a large floor drain nearby they can use to wash our blood down after they kill us?"
GM: "You don't even have blood."
Me: "I have fluids! Don't be fleshist!"

Without getting into copyrighted material (go buy PAH!), here's the campaign introduction notes I gave my players.
 
 
Revelations 1001: A Fantasy Hero Campaign
 
The Book of Revelations says the Antichrist would arise after Christ had reigned on Earth for 1000 years. Now in the Year Of Our Lord 1001, a dark Prince is gaining power in the East.  Rumors of miraculous powers, prophesies, and demonic forces surround him. Pope Sylvester II (who is rumored to have mysterious powers himself) assembles a group of worthies to investigate these claims and determine if the Antichrist has indeed risen as prophesied – and what if anything can be done to stop him. 
This is a historical/low-fantasy campaign set in the “real” Medieval Europe of 1001 A.D. Everything in our history books up through the year 1000 is assumed to have happened in the game world. …Or at least it’s the “real” world as the inhabitants of that age saw it, as told through their legends and myths. So magic and monsters exist, tho they are fairly rare. Europe is just starting to emerge from the dark ages into the true medieval period. The states of “modern” Europe are starting to coalesce and decide who they want to be when they grow up. Parallel with this has been Europe’s transition from paganism to Christianity. Much of Europe has been “officially” Christian for a generation or less, and lots of people still hold to the Old Ways. While most Europeans would never admit it, Europe is something of a primitive backwater compared to the rest of the world. Europe’s largest city, Rome, has barely 35,000 inhabitants, while Muslim Cordova has 400,000 and Baghdad may have as many as one million. Christian Europe has only 2 universities, and not a single public library, whereas Moorish Spain alone has 17 universities and more than 70 libraries. Feudalism in 1001 isn’t nearly as formalized as it became in later centuries, and varies widely from country to country. Similarly the chivalric code is very much a work-in-progress, and is more aspirational than it is commonly practiced. The armored cavalryman is starting to dominate warfare. But most armies still have large infantry components, the quality of which also vary widely. The word “knight” just means any well-equipped armored cavalryman. While generally only nobles could afford to outfit themselves (or their retainers) as knights, the term didn’t become an actual social rank or title until the 12th Century. The "Great Schism" that split the Western and Eastern Churches is 50 years in the future, so officially there is only one Christian Church at this time. But the seeds of that split are already well-sown by 1001. The Western and Eastern Churches have very different practices and ceremonies at this point, and even use different languages. The Patriarch of Constantinople is theoretically subordinate to the Pope of Rome, but the Eastern Church sees the Pope as more First Among Equals rather than their supreme leader per se. So there's definitely some rivalry, but it's still at least nominally in-family squabbling.  
Character Backgrounds:
PCs can be any character that might be found wandering around Europe in 1001 A.D: fighting men, priests, wandering “wizards,” pagan scholars, whatever. As a whole I’m assuming the group will be predominantly European and Christian; but there’s plenty of room for an unconverted pagan or a Muslim sorcerer or whatever in the mix.  You should all be basically good-aligned, at least for certain values of “good.” You can be from the nobility if you want, tho being a king/queen/etc. could be hard to fit in with “real” history. Various non-human races exist, at least in legend, but are very rarely seen in public. So I’m assuming the PCs will all be human, but if you have a cool idea, let’s talk. Your characters have all been brought together by the Pope himself on a crucial mission, so he must have some reason to trust or think well of you. That said, Sylvester II is not exactly your typical Pope, and had a number of associations the Church wouldn’t traditionally approve of. So we can stretch this pretty far. And please don’t feel obligated to have a “balanced” D&D adventuring party…

It was a time of great decline and despair. Mankind was scraping an illiterate, bestial existence out of the ruins of once-shining empires. Forgotten were the secrets of how to make the straight roads and the great structures that still dotted the landscape. The memory of these empires was so dim that some places attributed these ruins to giants, for mortal men could never have built such wonders. Libraries were few and those who could read them fewer still; what knowledge remained was carefully preserved by monks and guilds who barely understood it, let alone how we came by the knowledge to begin with. Indeed, in those times a stack of half a dozen books was regarded as a library. Order was maintained through force of arms, not law; the common people were stalked by banditry, plague, famine, and godless hordes out of the East. With each passing year, structures decayed, populations shrank, knowledge faded, and hope dimmed. The end times were nigh--that was plain as day to anyone.
 
I guess. I'm not familiar with the 1001 setting exactly, just the 1001 I lived through.

I agree completely about B5, except that I don't see the non-arc episodes as wasted filler. Different strokes, etc.
 
I gave up on Lost in Season 2 (I think) when I realized the creators had no idea what the hell they were doing and really were just making shit up based on whatever sounded good after their last bong.

I agree completely about B5, except that I don't see the non-arc episodes as wasted filler. Different strokes, etc.
 
I gave up on Lost in Season 2 (I think) when I realized the creators had no idea what the hell they were doing and really were just making shit up based on whatever sounded good after their last bong.

In the hands of good writers, the B plot becomes the A plot while a new C plot is introduced as the next B plot can weave pretty well. I prefer a mix myself, episodic one shots interspersed with short to medium story arcs keeps things fresh for me while still keeping me invested.
 
As a generalization,  natch. I've enjoyed some amazing 'done in one' series and been very impressed by a few long term arcs both.
 
Supergirl's writing is still a mixed bag, but whatever pattern the writers fall into, I'm hoping for them to find a groove that works for them.

That's a good way to word it. Heck, even "James Olsen" has grown on me, and I wasn't sure about this take on him. 
Loving our Henshaw/Manhunter guy (But then I was so pleased by the character being brought in it probably biased me) , Cat Grant has been deeper than I expected, and yes, Melissa Benoist has really nailed the part imo as well. 
 
And, anyone besides me VERY grateful they addressed the 'Hi, remember due process?' issue with Max Lord? It's one of the few things I DON'T like about the Flash, but Supergirl took that elephant in the room head on. Good on them

Amen! I always use simplified character sheets that focus on playability and leave out most of the math. (You need to know AP cost for Adjustment Powers, but most of the other numbers are irrelevant once play starts.) If I need to reference the mechanics in mid-session, I can always pull up the HD file for reference.
 
Yeah, that's always a challenge when introducing players that are used to D&D/Pathfinder/et.al.  A few thoughts:
One advantage of most class/level systems is that combat and noncombat abilities are segregated to an extent and don't really "compete" with each other: you go up a level and your combat stats go up by "x" and you have "y" points for skills, etc. But in Hero, every point you put into, say, languages is literally one less point you have for combat skills. That can really encourage min-maxing if the players get focused on that rather than on building three dimensional character. One way to counter that is to start with the "tell me about your character concept" discussion before anyone goes near actual mechanics; get them thinking about their character as a character first, rather than a collection of stats. Be absolutely clear that the maximums include skill levels & bonuses, not just the base, and that you will be very stingy about granting exceptions. In fact, you may want to call them "parameters" or something instead, since guidelines implies optional adherence. One trick I've seen is to ask each player "what is your character the best at?" and allow them to exceed the guidelines in that one area only. So if the character's concept is "strongest man in the room" then he's allowed a STR that maxes out or exceeds the guidelines, but he couldn't also buy his OCV or INT above the guidelines. Then if another player wants a STR above the guidelines (initially or with later XP) you can play the "I'm concerned you're going to step on Bob's Strongest Man schtick" card. I have sometimes required that PCs put a minimum number of points (typically 10) into Background Skills. I don't have to worry about this with my current group of players (Thanks guys!), but for some players it really forces them to think about their character as a person. And they don't have to worry about putting themselves at a disadvantage by "wasting" those points, because everyone has to do the same thing. Don't forget the "min" half of min-maxing: occasionally put the characters in situations where they're put at a disadvantage for having below-average abilities. You don't have to be a dick about it - in fact, you can sometimes play it for laughs to the players don't feel you're picking on them. And you don't want to overdo it, unless you really want all your PCs to trend toward the middle of the bell curve. But at least once in awhile, highlight the fact that choosing to minimize certain areas will put them at a disadvantage. Lastly, few things are more frustrating as a player than to have your combat monkey sitting on the sidelines for 2 hours watching the more well-rounded characters handle the interact-and-investigate phase. So when a player drafts an all combat PC, say "I see this game as including a fair amount of investigation and interacting with NPCs outside of combat. I'm not sure what this character will have to do during those scenes, and I don't want you to be bored. How do you see your character contributing in between fights?" The catch here is, are they playing that way because that's all they know? Or because that really is what they like to play? Part of the GM-Player contract is that you'll do your best to run a game that everyone will enjoy (including yourself of course). It may be they're used to games where points in noncombat skills are essentially wasted, in which case you need to reiterate that not all problems in your campaign will be solvable by fighting, and then reward them when they use those skills.
 
On the other hand, it may be that they really just want to play a series of combats and regard everything in between as filler. If that's the game they really want to play, trying to change their style of play can be an exercise in frustration for everyone! I point to the comic Full Frontal Nerdity, where the GM is always trying to run these thematic, role-play heavy games with lots of character interaction and drama...but his players just want to kill things and get more powerful. And after every game, he's surprised and disappointed that the players didn't play it the way he wanted them to. That's a fundamental disconnect that in real life will kill a game group quicker than anything. So have that conversation up front and find a middle ground that everyone can live with.

Two words:  Mayor Snart.  Heh.

Merlin has murdered hundreds of people including some very close to Oliver.  There should never be any non-hate blooming between the two of them.

Normally I would stop to consider the notion that Oracle being taken as a code-name means there is a Barbara Gordon out there in the Arrowverse, and she used to be Batgirl, which means there's a Gotham City and a Batman and... But then I stop myself and realize that that bit of wink-wink dialogue was strictly fan service and not meant to have any setting implications whatsoever.

...and vice-versa, but that part goes without saying.

Smoke grenades, darkness field, et. al. may be *your* best friend; but if the rest of your team doesn't have your Enhanced Senses, throwing too many around may not make you *their* best friend.

Smoke grenades, darkness field, et. al. may be *your* best friend; but if the rest of your team doesn't have your Enhanced Senses, throwing too many around may not make you *their* best friend.

It's always good to know a shapeshifter when your boss thinks you're a superhero.

Smoke grenades, darkness field, et. al. may be *your* best friend; but if the rest of your team doesn't have your Enhanced Senses, throwing too many around may not make you *their* best friend.

You should fix that.... you're too good a GM to be doing nothing.
 
My handle .... goes back to the days before the Web, into the territory of IRC, and the exact nature of how it came to be are lost to the mists of unreliable narrators.
 
First RPG; D&D Basic Red Box somewhere in the mid 80s.
First RPG GM'd: a short lived CP2020 game, I don't GM often, perhaps once a decade.
 
Currently Playing: A Hero-based Necessary Evil campaign (character is the resident brick) [run by BigDamnHero]; An Edge Of The Empire SW game (playing a Bounty Hunter w/ mad piloting skills, emphasis on mad); A Hero Fantasy campaign (playing the groups moral center... er, Paladin) [run by TehBunneh]
 
Also... yes, I'm still here, lurking, watching, waiting....

Smoke grenades, darkness field, et. al. may be *your* best friend; but if the rest of your team doesn't have your Enhanced Senses, throwing too many around may not make you *their* best friend.

Those who put "Hell" in their name can expect to visit it.  

Why? She doesn't even look angry and even if she did why would you interpret it to be an emasculating attitude aimed at men instead of aimed at criminals?  Unless you are trying to invoke the "women with short hair = butch, man-hating lesbian" stereotype I don't understand what you are interpreting as looking "like she'd rather stomp on [your] crotch".